Leader of the Opposition (Israel)
The Leader of the Opposition (Hebrew: יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הַאוֹפּוֹזִיצְיָה, Yoshev Rosh Ha-Opozitzya) is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
| Leader of the Opposition
יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הַאוֹפּוֹזִיצְיָה Yoshev Rosh Ha-Opozitzya | |
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| Term length | While leader of the largest political party not in government |
| First holder | Meir Ya'ari |
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| This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Israel |
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History
Informal role, until 2000
Until 2000, the role of the Opposition Leader was not an official position, but rather an honorary role. The Leader of the Opposition was the leader of the largest party not in government. This was either Likud or Labor, with short exceptions during national unity governments of 1967–1970 and 1984–1990.
Even with the absence of a law defining the role of the Opposition Leader, it was customary for the Prime Minister to hold regular meetings with the leader of the largest opposition party. However, it was carried out only at the prerogative of the Prime Minister.
Formalised role, post-2000
In early 2000, two bills to amend the Opposition Leader's status were submitted to the Knesset, one by the government and one by MK Uzi Landau. The bills were merged into one amendment, and on 17 July 2000, the Knesset approved Amendment 8 to the "Knesset Law" of 1994, adding chapter 6 that outlined the role of the Leader of the Opposition. The law stipulates the selection of the Opposition Leader, the method of their replacement, regulates their ceremonial role in various official events, and obliges the prime minister to update them once a month. The law also stipulates that the Opposition Leader's salary will be determined by Knesset committee, and shall not be lower than a salary of a Cabinet minister.
List of Opposition leaders
Leaders of the largest opposition party
| Name (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Political Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meir Ya'ari מאיר יערי (1897–1987) |  | Mapam | 1949 – 1951 | |
| Peretz Bernstein פרץ ברנשטיין (1890–1971) |  | General Zionists | 1951 – 1952 | |
| Meir Ya'ari מאיר יערי (1897–1987) | | Mapam | 1952 – 1955 | |
| Peretz Bernstein פרץ ברנשטיין (1890–1971) | | General Zionists | 1955 | |
| Menachem Begin מנחם בגין (1913–1992) | .jpg) | Herut/Gahal | 1955 – 1967 | |
| Meir Ya'ari מאיר יערי (1897–1987) | | Mapam | 1967 – 1969 | |
| Yitzhak-Meir Levin יצחק-מאיר לוין (1893–1971) |  | Agudat Yisrael | 1969 – 1970 | |
| Menachem Begin מנחם בגין (1913–1992) | | Likud | 1970 – 1977 | |
| Shimon Peres שמעון פרס (1923–2016) |  | Alignment | 1977 – 1984 | |
| Yuval Ne'eman יובל נאמן (1925–2006) | .jpg) | Tehiya | 1984 – 1988 | |
| Shulamit Aloni שולמית אלוני (1928–2014) |  | Ratz | 1988 – 1990 | |
| Shimon Peres שמעון פרס (1923–2016) | | Labor | 1990 – 1992 | |
| Yitzhak Shamir יצחק שמיר (1915–2012) | .jpg) | Likud | 1992 – 1993 | |
| Benjamin Netanyahu בנימין נתניהו (1949–) |  | Likud | 1993 – 1996 | |
| Shimon Peres שמעון פרס (1923–2016) | | Labor | 1996 – 1997 | |
| Ehud Barak אהוד ברק (1942–) |  | Labor | 1997 – 1999 | |
| Ariel Sharon אריאל שרון (1928–2014) |  | Likud | 1999 – 2000 | |
Designated Opposition Leaders
After Amendment 8 to the "Knesset law" of 1994 was passed, the Leader of the Opposition became the person elected by the largest faction of the opposition.
| Name (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Political Party | Term | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel Sharon אריאל שרון (1928–2014) | | Likud | 30 July 2000 – 7 March 2001 | |
| Yossi Sarid יוסי שריד (1940–2015) |  | Meretz | 7 March 2001 – 4 November 2002 | |
| Binyamin Ben-Eliezer בנימין בן אליעזר (1936–2016) |  | Labor | 4 November 2002 – 28 February 2003 | |
| Amram Mitzna עמרם מצנע (1945–) |  | Labor | 28 February 2003 – 13 May 2003 | |
| Dalia Itzik דליה איציק (1952–) |  | Labor | 13 May 2003 – 25 June 2003 | |
| Shimon Peres שמעון פרס (1923–2016) | | Labor | 25 June 2003 – 10 January 2005 | |
| Yosef Lapid יוסף לפיד (1931–2008) |  | Shinui | 10 January 2005 – 23 November 2005 | |
| Amir Peretz עמיר פרץ (1952–) |  | Labor | 23 November 2005 – 16 January 2006 | |
| Benjamin Netanyahu בנימין נתניהו (1949–) | | Likud | 16 January 2006 – 6 April 2009 | |
| Tzipi Livni ציפי לבני (1958–) | .jpg) | Kadima | 6 April 2009 – 2 April 2012 | |
| Shaul Mofaz שאול מופז (1948–) |  | Kadima | 2 April 2012 – 9 May 2012 | |
| Shelly Yachimovich שלי יחימוביץ׳ (1960–) |  | Labor | 9 May 2012 – 23 July 2012 | |
| Shaul Mofaz שאול מופז (1948–) | | Kadima | 23 July 2012 – 5 February 2013 | |
| Shelly Yachimovich שלי יחימוביץ׳ (1960–) | | Labor | 5 February 2013 – 25 November 2013 | |
| Isaac Herzog יצחק הרצוג (1960–) |  | Zionist Union (Labor) | 25 November 2013 – 31 July 2018 | |
| Tzipi Livni ציפי לבני (1958–) | | Zionist Union (Hatnuah) | 1 August 2018 – 1 January 2019 | |
| Shelly Yachimovich שלי יחימוביץ׳ (1960–) | | Labor | 1 January 2019 – 30 April 2019 | |
| Vacant[lower-alpha 1] | 30 April 2019 – 17 May 2020 | |||
| Yair Lapid יאיר לפיד (1963–) |  | Yesh Atid-Telem (Yesh Atid) | 17 May 2020 - Present | |
Notes
- No coalition was formed during the 2019–20 Israeli political crisis
References
External links
- Chapter 6: Leader of the Opposition, The Knesset law of 1994 Wikisource (in Hebrew)
Leaders of the Opposition in Israel | |
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| Leader of the largest opposition party |
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| Officially designated Opposition Leader |
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